Kevin Meaney has been one of the country's most popular standup comedians for more than 25 years. Tom Shale's of the Washington Post said, "Picture the precocious love child of Jonathan Winters and Ethel Merman and you have some idea of Kevin Meaney's act." Making people laugh has always been a top priority for Kevin. From his early years doing standup comedy in San Francisco and Boston he's amassed an impressive list of credits along the way. His first HBO special in 1986 catapulted him to the forefront of the comedy scene. In 1987 Kevin made his debut appearance on, "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson and was invited by Johnny to join the guest panel. Since his first appearance Kevin has returned to the show a dozen times. He was a special guest on Saturday Night Live and has appeared on Letterman, Regis, Oprah and Conan. Kevin is also an accomplished actor, having starred in the CBS sitcom, "Uncle Buck" which ran for a full season. In addition, he has done numerous guest appearances on both sitcoms and dramas. He also had a featured role in the movie 'Big". In 2006, Kevin expanded his acting repertoire to appear in the Broadway production of Hairspray as The Male Authority Figure, playing five roles - Mr. Pinky, Harriman F. Spritzer, The Principal, The Cop and the Flasher. Kevin is also a successful writer and producer. He wrote and produced and starred in a one-man autobiographical play titled, Wedding Vows in Vegas which premiered at the prestigious U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado before going on to a successful summer run in Boston at the Hasty Pudding Theatre. Steve Martin called it, "The most innovative, heart-rending and funny show I've seen in a long, long time." Known for drawing upon his family relationships for much of his material, Kevin has made such lines as "That's not Right" and "We're Big Pants People" and "We're going to lose the house" (delivered in the tremulous voice of his mother) catch phrases for hilarity. An evening with Kevin is a trip to the funhouse and one laugh escalates into a bigger one and good-hearted humor prevails. So, Big Pants People of the world unite...your leader is here, his name is Kevin Meaney and he's on a mission of mirth. Kevin is currently living in New York with his daughter Kate.Share

Everybody Loves Raymond is being produced in Israel with a brand new cast. Executive Producer Steve Skrovan talks to us from Tel Aviv and tells us what it's like to produce a sitcom in Israel. Also sketches featuring Eddie Pepitone, Paul Dooley, Janie Haddad Tompkins Dylan Brody and Jeremy S. Kramer. Written by Frank Conniff, Guy Nicolucci and David Weiss.

Jimmy Dore's laptop gets stolen as he is robbed for the third time in two years. Jimmy has a history of fighting with people who mug him so we explore why if everyone has guns nobody will pick a fight. Also Josh Eidelson returns to discuss the treatment of Apple Store employees. With Kevin Rooney, Jimmy Dore, Stefane Zamorano and Will Ryan.

Marty does Jerry Lewis and Lucille Ball!!! Sketches and song with Martin Short live in studio. With Paul Dooley, Eddie Pepitone, Frank Conniff, Janie Haddad Tompkins, Mark Thompson, Chris Pina, and Jeremy Kramer. Written byFrank Conniff, Ben Zelevansky, Guy Nicolucci, Dylan Brody, and David Weiss. Words and music by Alan Chapman and Will Ryan.

Unions. What are they? And why do we need them? Josh Eidelson reports on unions for Salon and In These Times. He joins us for a primer on what exactly collective bargaining means. Hard subject made easy.

Originally broadcast June 18, 2012. Prankster Alan Abel has been playing tricks on journalists for five decades. He is the subject of the award winning documentary "Abel Raises Cain" recounting a lifetime of preying on the sloppiness and downright laziness of American media. Then Eddie Pepitone tells us about how he lost his virginity to his college professor. And we kick around an idea for a movie. With Paul Dooley, Frank Conniff, Jimmy Dore, Stefane Zamorano, Jeremy S. Kramer, Dylan Brody and David Weiss.

"Before Stephen Colbert, there was Alan Abel, the man behind the world's most infamous pranks."— The Toronto Star

"Like a reverse Jon Stewart, Abel has been creating fake news... preying on mainstream media's insatiable thirst for the lurid, the perverse, and the wacky."— PBS POV blog

"Alan Abel is a master spoofer with incredibly perceptive insights into the human comedy."— San Francisco Examiner

"Abel challenges the obvious and utters the outrageous."— New York Times

"Abel is the Franz Liszt of put-on artists, the Rembrandt of the ridiculous"— Cleveland Press

"The imagination and sheer guts of Mr. Abel are pure delight."— Erma Bombeck

Salon's political writer Alex Seitz-Wald on yesterday's big election in Arizona. Jimmy Dore and Stefane Zamorano plus Michael Snyder on this week's films. Please subscribe to our show on iTunes. Follow us on Facebook.

Originally Broadcast June 5, 2012. Howie Klein is the founder and treasurer of Act Blue the Political Action Committee that supports progressive causes. He also writes daily for Down With Tyranny and is a frequent contributor to Crooks And Liars. Howie is perhaps best known for his role as President of Reprise Records from 1989 to 2001. He is also an adjunct professor of music at McGill University in Montreal, where he sometimes lectures. Along with Kevin Rooney and Rick Overton. Portions of today’s program were written by Ben Zelevansky.